Adhesive label liner sheet modifications for retaining unneeded label sections on liner

ABSTRACT

One or more cuts is provided in a label liner sheet near the area of a cutout within the label, such as the center hole in a CD label, in order to facilitate reliable separation of the cutout from the label and retention of the cutout on the liner sheet as the label is peeled from the liner. The majority of the cut runs generally parallel to the cutout boundary underneath the cutout, and the ends of the cut cross the boundary at two separate boundary crossing points on either side of the portion of the cut running parallel to the boundary. The cut first causes a flap to be created in the liner sheet and partially lifted as the label is beginning to be peeled away. Thereafter, as the peel line passes the flap area, the cutout experiences the full retentive strength of the label&#39;s pressure sensitive adhesive primarily at the two boundary crossings, and the cutout is pulled from the label and retained on the liner sheet as the adhesive force overcomes the cohesive force.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/165,745 filed Jun. 24, 2005 which is a continuation-in-part ofinternational application no. PCT/US03/01808, filed Jan. 22, 2003, whichdesignated the United States and was published in English each of whichare incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to adhesive label sheets, and moreparticularly to modifications to an adhesive label liner sheet forretaining unneeded label sections on the liner when the label is removedfrom the liner sheet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Adhesive label sheets having at least one label and a liner sheet, inwhich the label is releasably adhered to the liner sheet by a pressuresensitive adhesive, are well known. The pressure sensitive adhesive onthe back of the labels is usually, though not necessarily, of sufficientstrength as to permanently adhere the label to an object to which thelabel is later affixed after the label has been peeled from the linersheet and applied to the object. Such a pressure sensitive adhesive isgenerally referred to as a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive, asopposed to a releasable pressure sensitive adhesive. Even though thepressure sensitive adhesive is often of the permanent type, the labelscan be easily removed from the liner because the liner, often referredto as the release liner, is covered with a non stick coating such as athin layer of silicone. Labels and label sheets of this type are wellknown.

Labels of this sort can be manufactured and used in a variety ofapplications. One application for labels of this type is for use inlabeling compact discs (CD's). International Publication WO 02/38371-A1, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes one suchlabel sheet for CD's. The label sheet is of a standard size such as8½×11 inches, or A4, for feeding through a standard printer attached toa personal computer such as a laser printer or inkjet printer. Thefacestock contains two CD labels and several CD jewel case spine labelsdie cut into the facestock so that they can be removed from theremainder of the label sheet when the user is ready to apply the CDlabel to a CD, or the spine label to a jewel case spine. Also die cutinto the facestock sheet are the center holes or cutouts within thecenter of the CD labels. The facestock includes holding tabs or “notouch tabs” held to the CD, so that the user can hold the CD label whileit is being positioned over the CD for application thereon withouttouching an adhesive surface. The holding tabs are typically removedfrom the CD label after the CD label has been placed onto the CD bytearing along perforations or cuts and ties formed in the facestock.

The liner also has various die cuts in it for different purposes. Thosecuts include: cuts to allow the two halves of the label sheet to beseparated for separate handling after printing; a crescent shaped cut atone each of the holding tabs to assist the user in grasping the tab andusing it to peel the CD label from the label sheet; and small crosshairs and arcuate sections in the center hole sections of the CD labelsfor die alignment purposes when setting up the manufacturing equipment.The holding tab having the crescent shaped cut at its end so that theuser can easily grasp it and use it to peel the CD label from the labelsheet will be referred to as the peel tab. The various cuts in thefacestock and the liner sheet are shown and/or described in WO02/38371-A1.

Even though the die cuts defining the CD label and the center holesection may pass completely through the facestock, the two sectionsnevertheless sometimes remain stuck slightly together. This is becausethe pressure sensitive adhesive on the back of the label spreads andinteracts with the pressure sensitive adhesive on the back of the centerhole section, causing the two sections to stick together slightly attheir edges along the die cut boundary. The sticking of the pressuresensitive adhesive on the back side of the two pieces thus tending tohold the two pieces together is sometimes referred to as cohesion. Incontrast, the tendency of the facestock to stick to the liner due to thenormal action of the pressure sensitive adhesive is usually referred toas adhesion. For clarity of discussion, the terms “cohesion” and“adhesion” will be used herein in accordance with this nomenclature.

Due to the cohesive bond created by the spreading of the pressuresensitive adhesive on the backs of the CD label and the center holesection, when the CD label is peeled from the label sheet the centerhole section sometimes coheres strongly enough to the CD label so thatthe CD label pulls the center hole section with it from the liner. Theuser must then perform the separate step of removing the center holesection from the CD label after the CD label's sticky side is alreadyexposed.

This separate step can be awkward.

One method which has been suggested for preventing this cohesion problemand ensuring that the unneeded or waste section of the facestock remainson the liner when the label is peeled away, is by the use of skips.Skips are localized areas on the liner in which the release coating ismodified, either by using a different release coating that constitutes aless effective non-stick agent, or by completely eliminating the releasecoating at the skip. The intended result is that the unneeded facestocksection remains strongly adhered to the liner while the label is peeledaway from the liner, leaving the unneeded section behind. Examples oflabel sheets or strips employing skips or other techniques that rely ondifferential bond strengths are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,580,640; 6,273,987;6,410,111; 6,423,391; and 6,432,499.

One drawback to the conventional skip approach is that attempting to usedifferent release coatings in different areas, or different thicknessesof the same release coating in different areas, complicates themanufacturing process. The labels sheets are usually made in largecontinuous rolls, and attempting to create local and repeated smallareas in those rolls in which the release coating is different, thenapplying the facestock, and then aligning those small localized areaswith the label patterns later die cut into the sheets, undesirablycomplicates the manufacturing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventor of the present invention has discovered that by placing oneor more cuts in strategic locations in the liner sheet, the center holesection of a label such as a CD label will more reliably be left on theliner sheet when the label is removed from the liner sheet. In oneembodiment, the liner sheet is die cut in such a way as to produce aflap which lifts slightly during the removal of the surrounding label.When that occurs, rather than the center hole label section peeling offof the liner with the rest of the label, the liner flap starts to liftwith the center hole label section. When the peeling action reaches theend of the flap, the flap can no longer lift with the facestock sheet.Now there is an entire line through the center hole section along whichthe adhesive force between the facestock and the liner must be overcome.This adhesive resistance pulls at the center hole section at the twopoints along the peel line at which the center hole section coheres tothe surrounding label. The adhesive force holding the center holesection to the liner is now sufficiently strong to overcome the cohesiveforce holding the center hole section to the label at the two outerpoints of the center hole section, and the center hole section begins toseparate from the label. Now that the cohesive bond between the centerhole section and the label has broken at the two points, the separationprocess continues rapidly until the flap and the waste facestock portionon the flap separates from the label. The peeling process then continuessmoothly and the center hole section is left behind on the liner sheet.

In another view of the present invention, when the liner flap created bythe cut in the liner begins to lift, the center hole label section nowmust be removed by shearing part of the center hole label section fromthe liner. The force required to remove a label from a surface bypulling it sideways in shear is greater than what is required forpeeling the label. The cohesive bond between the label and the centerhole label section does not exceed the force required to shear thecenter hole label section off of the liner, so the cohesive bond isbroken and the center hole label section stays on the liner.

In one aspect therefore, the present invention takes a counter intuitiveapproach to separating the donut hole from the label. Namely, thepresent invention recognizes that, rather than increasing the forcetending to separate the donut hole from the label as taught by prior artskip techniques, one way of ensuring reliable separation of the donuthole from the label is to initially decrease the separation force withina localized area. More specifically, the force tending to separate thedonut hole from the surrounding label is initially decreased at aleading edge of the donut hole first reached by the peel line as thepeel line progresses across the label.

The method and structure of the invention are particularly effectivewhere the direction of removal of the surrounding label is consistentand known, such as in label sheets produced by the assignee of thepresent invention in which one or more peel tabs is provided to assistthe user in peeling the label from the liner. Where the direction ofpeel is not consistent, a plurality of cuts may be made in the liner tofacilitate separation of the center hole section from the labelregardless of the direction of peel.

The present invention can be used for a variety of label sheets in whichthe label has a cutout therein. For example, in addition to a CD labelsheet, the invention can be used for a name badge label sheet in which ahanger hole must be removed from the label. The invention can also beused in a label sheet in which an unneeded or waste section of the labelsheet which is desired to be left behind is not necessarily a cutoutwithin a single label. For example, the invention can be used in a labelsheet having adjacent generally rectangular labels, with the labelshaving rounded corners such that an unneeded diamond shaped portion liesat the point where four of the rectangular labels meet. More generally,the invention can be used whenever there is an unneeded facestocksection such that it is desirable to remove the label without alsolifting the unneeded or otherwise adjacent facestock section with thelabel.

In another aspect, the invention is of a label sheet having a modifiedliner, the liner assisting an unused portion of the label being leftbehind when the label is peeled away from the label sheet, themodification including a cut in the liner, the cut including at least afirst cut portion running along a boundary between the label and theunused portion and running underneath the unused portion, and second andthird cut portions which curve to cross the boundary near the end pointsof the cut, thus creating a flap which partially lifts at first awayfrom the general plane of the liner sheet when the label is being peeledaway, the cut thereafter assisting the unused portion in separating fromthe label and remaining on the liner sheet as the label is being removedfrom the liner sheet. The label sheet can optionally have a tab, printeddirections, arrows, or other means for encouraging a user to peel thelabel off from the liner in a predefined peel direction, with the cutand the peel tab cooperating together to ensure that the peelingprogresses in a way that will first lift the leading edge of the flap,and finally reach the hinge of the flap at its rear.

In a further aspect the invention is of a label sheet having a facestockand a liner, the facestock sheet including a label and an unneededportion lying at least partially internal to the label, the liner sheetbeing cut near the boundary area between the label and the unneededportion in order to create a flap that allows the following steps tooccur in sequence as a user is removing a label from the liner sheet:(a) a first corner of the internal portion is pulled upward away from aprimary plane of the liner sheet, the first corner remaining adhered toa corresponding section of the liner sheet not lying within the primaryplane; (2) the internal portion begins separating from the label; and(3) the internal portion completely separates from the label and is leftbehind on the liner sheet.

In yet another aspect the invention is of a method for altering theliner sheet such that, when a label is being peeled away from the linersheet, the label having an internal portion that is not intended to beused as a label, a tensile force that would otherwise act to beginremoving a leading corner of the internal portion is initially reduced,with the leading corner not being removed from the liner until the peelline has passed by that leading corner.

One advantage of this invention is that, when the liner sheet is alreadyto be cut for some other purpose as in previous manufacturing processes,the center hole section can be induced to reliably separate from thelabel by the use of a simple and inexpensive cut which does not requireany additional manufacturing steps.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be further described belowwith reference to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to likeparts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is top view of a CD label sheet according to one embodiment ofthe present invention as one of the CD labels is being peeled away, withthe center hole section 30 shown in fragment;

FIG. 2 is a closeup side perspective view of the center hole labelsection of FIG. 1, showing the liner flap lifting from the liner;

FIG. 3 is a closeup view of the center hole section of the CD label andlabel sheet of FIG. 1, with a plurality of cuts in the liner sheet belowthe unused facestock portion according to one embodiment of the presentinvention being shown in phantom;

FIG. 4 is a further closeup of the center hole section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a closeup view of the center hole section of a CD label sheet,with the cuts in the liner sheet below the unused facestock portionaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention being shown inphantom;

FIG. 6A is a cross sectional view of the center hole section of one CDlabel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6B shows the CD label sheet of FIG. 6A as the CD label is beingpeeled away from the liner sheet, with the center hole portion not yetseparating from the label;

FIG. 6C shows the CD label sheet of FIG. 6A as the CD label is beingpeeled away from the liner sheet, with the center hole section beginningto separate from the label;

FIG. 6D shows the CD label sheet of FIG. 6A with the center hole sectionnow completely separated from the label;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a label sheet according to a thirdembodiment, in which the label is a name badge label and the cutoutwithin the label is a hanger hole, with a plurality of cuts in the linersheet according to this embodiment being shown in phantom;

FIG. 8 is a label sheet according to a fourth embodiment of theinvention, in which the unneeded portion of the label sheet lies at thepoint where four labels come together, with a cut in the liner sheetaccording to this embodiment being shown in phantom;

FIG. 9 is a closeup of the area around the diamond shaped unneededfacestock section of the label sheet of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a first example of a label sheet in which an unused portionof the facestock is primarily, though not completely, internal to thelabel;

FIG. 11 is a second example of a label sheet in which an unused portionof the facestock is primarily, though not completely, internal to thelabel;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a fifth embodiment of the invention, inwhich the label is a name badge label and the cutout within the label isa hanger hole, with a single continuous cut in the liner sheet accordingto this embodiment being shown in phantom; and

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a sixth embodiment of the invention, inwhich the cuts are rotated with respect to the peel direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A typical label sheet includes a facestock sheet and a liner sheet. Thefacestock sheet includes one or more labels die cut therein, and one ormore unused or waste portions of the facestock. The facestock is usuallymade of paper which may be written upon or printed upon by a laserprinter or other printer attached to a personal computer, although thefacestock material may be a printable metal foil, paper/metal foil,MYLAR®, plastic, or any other suitable material. For purposes herein,all such materials will be referred to as paper, and the assembly willbe referred to as a paper assembly. A printable coating, such as aninkjet receptive coating, may be applied to the top surface so that thesurface can be printed thereon. For purposes herein, it will beunderstand that the term “printing” includes writing by pen or ink,typewriting, laser printing, ink jet printing, or any other manner ofplacing text or graphics thereon. The facestock sheet has a pressuresensitive adhesive on it which typically is strong enough to permanentlyadhere to whatever the label is placed on after being removed from theliner. The liner, however, is coated with a nonstick release materialsuch as a thin layer of silicone so that the label can be easily peeledfrom the liner. It is not necessary that the pressure sensitive adhesivebe a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive; it can be a removableadhesive i.e., a weak pressure sensitive adhesive. The foregoing is wellknown within the art of label sheet manufacturing.

Label sheets may come in a variety of configurations. In FIG. 1 labelsheet or label assembly 10 includes a release liner or liner sheet 12,and a facestock or facestock sheet 18. Also made from the facestockmaterial are areas 14 and 16. Area 14 can include, for example, jewelcase spine labels die cut into the facestock. Area 16 can include, forexample, additional jewel case spine labels, or can contain writteninstructions for using the label sheet. In the exemplary embodimentlabel assembly 10 as shown the label assembly includes two CD labels 20defined by respective circular die cuts 22 within the facestock 18. EachCD label 20 includes a peel tab 25 and a holding tab 24 formed in thefacestock 18. The peel tabs 25 and holding tabs 24 are attached to theCD labels along weakened separation lines 26 which may be created byperforations or cuts and ties. A crescent shaped slot 28 is cut all theway through the facestock sheet 18 and the liner 12 at the peel tab 25on each CD label 20 in order to facilitate grasping the tab 25 and usingthe tab 25 to peel the CD label 20 away from the liner. Internal to eachCD label 20 is a round cutout section or center hole section 30. Forease of discussion, center hole section 30 will hereafter be referred toas the donut hole 30, and it will be understood that donut hole 30refers to the unneeded portion 30 of the facestock 18 which is not usedas part of CD label 20. It will also be understood, however, that thepresent invention is in no way limited to use with round holes or roundlabels, but is widely applicable to many label sheet configurations inwhich it is desirable to peel one section of a facestock away whileleaving another section of the facestock on the release liner. Suchconfigurations could include not only label sheets having wasteportions, but label sheets having adjacent labels in which it isdesirable to peel away only one label for use at a time, leaving theother label behind for peeling away later. Donut hole 30 is defined bydie cut 32, which defines the boundary between CD label 20 and donuthole 30. Up to this point, the foregoing CD label sheet is described ingreater detail in International Publication No. WO 02/38371-A1, which isassigned to the assignee of the present invention.

The cuts shown in phantom in FIG. 1 and the slit 33 formed in liner 12are not described in International Publication No. WO 02/38371-A1 and doform part of the present invention according to a first embodiment usedfor CD label sheets. In the figure, donut hole 30 is shown in fragment.The rear portion of the donut hole 30, peeled away last, is shown stillattached to liner 12. The leading edge of donut hole 30, which in thefigure as illustrated would be separated from label 20 and attached toliner 12 including the flap formed by slit 33, is cut away and not shownin order to reveal the structure and operation of the slit 33 in liner12. Although exemplary label assembly 10 is shown with discretefacestock areas 14, 16 and 18 on liner sheet 12 with gaps between theseparate areas, many other configurations are possible including labelsheets in which the facestock completely covers the liner sheet. It willalso be understood and apparent in view of the description which followsthat the invention can be used with many other configurations of labelsand label sheets.

The structure of the liner 12 including modifications thereto accordingto the one embodiment of the present invention will now be described ingreater detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, which are close ups ofonly donut hole 30 and the immediately surrounding area of CD label 20.Cuts 40, 42 and 44 are formed in the liner sheet by die cuttingimmediately below donut hole 30, and are shown in phantom. Cuts 42 and44 are merely for die alignment purposes and form no part of the presentinvention; such cuts are shown but not described in InternationalPublication No. WO 02/38371-A1. Cut 40 includes three sections: a firstcut section 41 and two end sections 45 and 49. First cut section 41 liesinside the boundary 32 which separates donut hole 30 from surrounding CDlabel 20, and generally parallels or follows the contour of the boundary32 for some distance. Arcuate or semi-circular cuts 45 and 49 at theends of cut 40 cause the cut to cross boundary 32 at first and secondboundary crossing points 43 and 47. It is preferred, but not strictlynecessary, that the ends 45 and 49 of the cut be arcuate orsemi-circular, and cross the boundary at generally right angles toboundary 32. The two boundary crossings 43 and 47 define a line 50 whichcuts through an interior portion of donut hole 30, and also define anuncut chord 56 along line 50, the uncut chord 56 also defining a hingewhich in turn defines flap 58 within liner sheet 12. Preferably, firstcut section 41 runs less than 5 mm, more preferably less than 2 mm, andmore preferably runs approximately 1 mm, from donut hole/label boundary32, and runs underneath donut hole 30. Thus, flap 58 formed within liner12 lies underneath donut hole or other unused portion 30. It will alsobe understood that although portion 30 is referred to as being unused orunneeded, it need not be strictly unused or unneeded for any otherpurposes. Rather, the words “unused” and “unneeded” in the specificationand in the claims will refer merely to the fact that it is desirable forthis portion of the facestock to be left behind on the liner sheet whenthe label is peeled away.

Flap 58, cut 40 in liner 12, and boundary crossings 43 and 49 are mostadvantageously oriented as shown in FIG. 4 with respect to theanticipated peel direction. More particularly, the leading edge of flap58 is preferably oriented such that the peel line first reaches flap 58at the flap's leading edge, and thereafter continues parallel to uncutchord 56 until it reaches and passes uncut chord 56. In this way, thepeel line reaches boundary crossings 43 and 47 roughly simultaneously.Additionally, the first cut section 41 between the first and secondlabel boundary crossings 43, 47 has a tangent that is perpendicular tothe anticipated peel direction. In FIG. 1, flap 58 is oriented withrespect to the peel direction by orienting flap 58 with respect to peeltab 25 such that the peel progresses in the desired direction. Together,peel tab 25 and boundary crossings 43 and 47 define an isoscelestriangle, with the base of the isosceles triangle defining the uncutchord 56 through donut hole 30. Preferably, uncut chord 56 covers atleast 60 degrees of arc along label boundary 32, more preferably coversat least 90 degrees of arc, and more preferably still covers about 160degrees of arc. Similarly, the curvature of the flap encompasses atleast 60 degrees of arc, more preferably covers at least 90 degrees ofarc, and more preferably still covers about 160 degrees of arc.

Without cut 40, as with prior art labels, when the peeling of the labelprogressed along the peel direction to reach leading edge 36 of thedonut hole 30, the adhesive on the back of label 20 and donut hole 30created a cohesive force that tended to hold donut hole 30 to label 20as label 20 was being peeled away from liner 12. At the leading edge ofdonut hole 30 only a small area of donut hole 30 opposed the cohesiveforce. The cohesive force along the boundary at leading edge 36 would bestronger than the adhesive force tending to hold donut hole 30 to liner12, thus causing donut hole 30 to begin peeling away from liner 12without separating from label 20. Once started, this peeling of donuthole 30 with label 20 up from liner 12 would normally continue untilentire donut hole 30 was removed from liner 12, still attached to label20 by cohesion.

With cut 40, a different sequence occurs. As the peel line isprogressing in the peel direction shown in FIG. 4, first cut portion 41causes a leading edge of flap 58 to begin lifting along with the leadingedge 36 of donut hole 30. That is, the modification to the liner is suchthat when the label is being peeled away from the liner sheet, a peelforce or tensile force tending to pull leading edge 36 of the donut holeaway from liner 12 is actually initially reduced due to the existenceand action of flap 58. In one view, flap 58 allows the area of adhesionand hence the potential adhesive force to accumulate as the peel linepasses leading edge 36. As the peel line progresses toward uncut chord56, liner sheet flap 58 continues to lift along with label 20. Finally,the peel line reaches the hinge formed along uncut chord 56. At thatpoint, the relatively large adhesive force created by adhesion alongline 56 and the surrounding areas which has been allowed to accumulate,along with shear forces resulting from the changed angle of the label,oppose any further upward movement of donut hole 30. Because the area ofadhesion was initially allowed to accumulate, the area of adhesion andhence the adhesive force which opposes the cohesion is now increased.This opposition to any further upward movement is concentrated primarilyat boundary crossing points 43 and 47 and the immediate vicinity. Atthis point, the adhesive force tending to hold donut hole 30 down ontoliner 12 is sufficiently strong to overcome the cohesive force alongboundary 32 at boundary crossings 43 and 47, and the donut hole 30begins to separate from label 20 at the boundary crossing points. Oncebegun, the separation rapidly progresses along boundary 32 toward donuthole leading edge 36. Meanwhile, as the peeling of label 20 continuesthe separation of donut hole 30 from label 20 continues in the peeldirection away from leading edge 36 of donut hole 30.

FIG. 2 is a closeup side perspective view of the center hole labelsection of FIG. 1, but showing the leading edge of donut hole 30 andliner flap 58 just beginning to lift from the rest of liner 12.Sequentially, FIG. 2 would occur slightly before FIG. 1. The thicknessof flap 58 in FIG. 2 is exaggerated for illustration purposes. In thisfigure, donut hole 30 is still cohered to label 20. The peeling actionor peel line has now reached the back of flap 58. Slit 33 created by cut41 is at its fully open position. Any further peeling action will tendto pull donut hole 30 out from the center of label 20 because the flapcan no longer lift and any further lifting of donut hole 30 is opposedby a relatively large area of adhesion between donut hole 30 and liner12.

FIGS. 6A-6D are sequential close up cross sectional views of the CDlabel 20 and donut hole 30 as the label is being peeled away from theliner sheet. The thicknesses of the label 20, donut hole 30, and liner12 are exaggerated for illustration purposes.

FIG. 6A shows donut hole 30 defined by a cut along label boundary 32within label 20. Cut 41 in liner 12, with the cut 41 crossing labelboundary 32 at boundary crossing 47 shown in phantom, defines a flap 58in liner 12.

In FIG. 68, which approximately corresponds to FIG. 2, label 20 is beingremoved from liner 12. The peel line has just reached the beginning edgeof donut hole 30. Even though donut hole 30 is completely or nearlycompletely cut away from label 20 by the die cut in the facestock, thecohesion between the adhesive on the back of label 20 and the adhesiveon the back of donut hole 30 along label boundary 32 keeps donut hole 30attached to label 20 along their respective edges. Cut 41 in liner 12allows liner flap 58 to begin lifting with donut hole 30, such that flap58 no longer lies in the same plane as the major plane of liner sheet12. As used herein, the term “major plane” refers to the primary planeof liner sheet 12 in the area generally surrounding donut hole 30,without regard to small or localized bends, wrinkles, or waves in linersheet 12.

In FIG. 6C, which approximately corresponds to FIG. 1, the peel line hasreached boundary crossing 47 at the back of flap 58, and flap 58 canrise no further. Now the adhesive force tending to hold flap 58 to donuthole 30 across a significant area of donut hole 30 is strong enough toovercome the cohesive forces along the label boundaries, especially atboundary crossing 47, and donut hole 30 separates from label 20.

In FIG. 60 flap 58 has relaxed back down to the major plane of liner 12.Donut hole 30 remains fixed to liner 12, and has separated completelyfrom label 20. Thus, the invention takes the counter intuitive approachof actually initially decreasing the force which would tend to separatethe donut hole's leading edge from the liner.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the user is encouraged to peel thelabel along a predefined peel direction via crescent shaped cutout 28within liner 12 and peel tab 25. The construction and use of this cutoutare described more fully in International Publication No. WO02/38371-A 1. Other means of encouraging the user to peel along aparticular direction, such as by straight cuts across the length of theliner or written directions, are also well known within the label makingart, and can also be used in conjunction with the present invention. Ifthe user were equally encouraged or prone to peel the label in eitherdirection made possible by pulling on either peel tab 25 or holding tab24, the liner could be modified to take either direction into account.FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the liner 12 underneath donut hole30 is modified by forming first cut 140, and additionally second cut142. Both cuts 140 and 142 follow a contour of boundary 132 between thedonut hole and surrounding label area, and both cuts cross boundary 132at each of two points 143, 147 and 145, 149, respectively. As describedabove with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the two boundary crossings 143,147 and 145, 149 for each of the first and second cuts 140, 142 definelines 150, 151 which cut through an interior portion of donut hole 30,and also define uncut chords 156, 157 along lines 150, 151,respectively, the uncut chords 156, 157 also defining hinges which inturn define first and second flaps 158, 159 within liner sheet 12. Inthis way the label separates from the donut hole just as easilyregardless of whether the label is peeled off in one direction or in theopposite direction.

FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment in which label 220 is a name badgelabel having a hanger hole 230 therein so that the label may be placedaround hanger hardware. In this embodiment, it is not presumed that thelabel will be peeled along any particular predefined peel direction.Rather, three cuts 240, 242 and 244 are each die cut into the linersheet in the area near the boundary between label 220 and center hole230. The user is unlikely to peel the label beginning at the top edgedirectly above center hole 230, and for that reason no fourth cut isprovided at the edge of center hole 230 nearest to the top edge.Instead, the user is likely to, or can be encouraged to, peel the labelfrom the liner at either the left edge of label 220, the right edge oflabel 220, the bottom edge of label 220, or any one of the four cornersshown. Whichever of those ways the user begins peeling the label, thepeeling will encounter one or more cuts in a liner sheet according tothe present invention, thus facilitating reliable separation of centerhole 230 from label 220 as the label is peeled away for use. Although itis desirable to orient the cut in a particular direction with respect tothe peel line, it is not strictly necessary to do so, as illustrated inFIG. 7 in which the exact peel direction is not necessarily known.

A fourth environment and fourth embodiment are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.In FIG. 8, a label sheet 60 contains a number of generally rectangularshaped labels 62. The corners of the labels 62 are rounded. As shown inthe close up of FIG. 9, at the area where four of the generallyrectangular labels 62 come together an unused diamond shaped portion ofthe facestock is formed. Cut 80 is formed in the liner sheet below theunused diamond shaped facestock portion. Cut 80 includes a first cutportion 82, and second and third cut portions 84 and 86. First cutportion 82 generally follows a contour of a boundary 64 between label 62and the unused portion, and second and third cut portions 84 and 86include arcuate semi-circular cut portions which cross the boundaries.

The present invention is useful in facilitating separation of donutholes from labels where the donut hole or other hole lies completelyinternal to a label. However, the invention can also be used inapplications where the unused section is not completely internal to thelabel. FIGS. 10 and 11 show embodiments in which the unused portions ofthe facestock do not lie completely internal to the label. In FIG. 10,for example, a label or adhesive applique 330 is formed by die cutting alabel sheet or applique sheet 310. Unused portion 332, for example, liespartially but not completely internal to label 330. Die cut 341 assistslabel 330 in peeling away from sheet 310 while leaving unused portion332 on the liner. FIG. 11 shows an additional embodiment in which theunneeded facestock portion 432 lies partially but not completelyinternal to label 430. In this embodiment, peel tab 424 encourages theuser to peel label 430 along a peel direction that makes mostadvantageous use of cut 441, similarly to as described in theembodiments of FIGS. 1-5 and their accompanying descriptions.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a fifth embodiment of the invention, inwhich the label is a name badge label 520 and the cutout 530 within thelabel is a hanger hole, with a single continuous cut 544 in the linersheet.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a sixth embodiment of the invention, inwhich the cuts 541, 542, and 544 are rotated at an angle α with respectto the peel direction. It has been found that rotating the cuts at anangle of α=20°-45° from the peel direction produces generally goodresults. In other words, uncut chord 550 defined by the points at whichcut 541 crosses underneath the boundary of the cutout, defines an angleof approximately 45°-70° with respect to the intended peel direction.

It will be appreciated that the term “present invention” as used hereinshould not be construed to mean that only a single invention having asingle essential element or group of elements is presented. Rather, anynew and nonobvious element, and any new and nonobvious combination ofelements, constitutes a separate invention. Although the presentinvention has thus been described in detail with regard to the preferredembodiments and drawings thereof, it should be apparent to those skilledin the art that various adaptations and modifications of the presentinvention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and thescope of the invention. For example, the principles of the presentinvention can be used with many shapes and configurations of labels andunneeded sections, and with many different materials and types ofadhesives and release coatings. Although the shapes of the cutsillustrated herein have been found to be particularly advantageous, theinvention is not necessarily limited to particularly shaped cuts.Similarly, peel tabs can come in many shapes and configurations, and theterm “peel tab” as used in the claims should not be limited to anyparticular shape or configuration. Accordingly, it is to be understoodthat the detailed description and the accompanying drawings as set forthhereinabove are not intended to limit the breadth of the presentinvention, which should be inferred only from the following claims andtheir appropriately construed legal equivalents. In the claims, wherethe term “means for” appears, that phrase is intended to be interpretedin accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6; similarly, where theterm “means for” does not appear in a claim, the claim is intended tonot be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6.

What is claimed is:
 1. A label sheet comprising: a liner sheet; and afacestock sheet releasably coupled to the liner sheet; wherein: thefacestock sheet includes a label, the facestock sheet includes an unusedportion defined by a die cut through the facestock sheet, and the labeland the unused portion define a label boundary therebetween, the linersheet includes a flap defined by a cut through the liner sheet crossingunderneath the label boundary at first and second label boundarycrossings and an uncut chord extending generally between the first andsecond label boundary crossings forming a hinge by which the flapremains integrally connected with the liner sheet when the label isremoved therefrom, and the flap is configured to enable separation ofthe label from the unused portion as the label is peeled away from theliner sheet, with the unused portion remaining fixed to the liner sheet.2. The label sheet of claim 1 wherein the cut defines a flap in theliner sheet which bends upward away from a remaining portion of theliner sheet as the label is being peeled away.
 3. The label sheet ofclaim 2 wherein said flap is generally semicircular in shape.
 4. Thelabel sheet of claim 1 wherein the label surrounds the unused portionwherein the unused portion is internal to said label, such that when thelabel is peeled from the liner and the unused portion of the facestockremains on the liner, a hole is formed in the label.
 5. The label sheetof claim 1 wherein the label includes a tab to encourage a user to peelthe label from the liner sheet along a label peel direction.
 6. Thelabel sheet of claim 1, wherein the flap is configured to relax backtoward a plane of the liner sheet after the label has been peeled awayfrom the liner sheet.
 7. The label sheet of claim 1, wherein: the labelboundary includes a contour; and the cut through the liner sheetincludes a first cut portion that runs underneath the unused portion andgenerally follows the contour of the label boundary.
 8. The label sheetof claim 1 wherein the liner sheet further includes: a second flapdefined by a second cut through the liner sheet; and the second flap isconfigured to enable separation of the label from the unused portion asthe label is peeled away from the liner sheet, with the unused portionremaining fixed to the liner sheet.
 9. The label sheet of claim 8,wherein the liner sheet further includes a second cut portion thatcrosses underneath the label boundary at the first label boundarycrossing.
 10. The label sheet of claim 9, wherein the liner sheetfurther includes a third cut portion that crosses underneath the labelboundary at the second label boundary crossing.
 11. The label sheet ofclaim 10, wherein at least one of the second cut portion and the thirdcut portion is generally arcuate in shape.
 12. A label sheet comprising:a liner sheet; and a facestock sheet releasably coupled to the linersheet; wherein: the facestock sheet includes two or more labels, thefacestock sheet includes an unused portion defined by die cuts throughthe facestock sheet, and the labels and the unused portion define alabel boundary therebetween, the liner sheet includes a flap defined bya cut through the liner sheet crossing underneath the label boundary atfirst and second label boundary crossings and an uncut chord extendinggenerally between the first and second label boundary crossings forminga hinge by which the flap remains integrally connected with the linersheet when the label is removed therefrom, and the flap is configured toenable separation of one of the labels from the unused portion as theone label is peeled away from the liner sheet, with the unused portionremaining fixed to the liner sheet.
 13. The label sheet of claim 12,wherein the liner sheet defines a plane and the flap in the liner sheetis configured to bend away from the plane of the liner sheet as the onelabel is peeled away from the liner sheet.
 14. The label sheet of claim13, wherein the flap is configured to relax back toward the plane of theliner sheet after the one label has been peeled away from the linersheet.
 15. The label sheet of claim 12, wherein the label boundaryincludes a contour and the cut through the liner sheet includes a firstcut portion that runs underneath the unused portion and generallyfollows the contour of the label boundary.
 16. The label sheet of claim12, wherein the liner sheet includes a second flap defined by a secondcut through the liner sheet and the second flap is configured to enableseparation of another one of the labels from the unused portion as theanother label is peeled away from the liner sheet, with a second unusedportion remaining fixed to the liner sheet.
 17. The label sheet of claim16, wherein the cut through the liner sheet further includes a secondcut portion that crosses underneath the label boundary at the firstlabel boundary crossing.
 18. The label sheet of claim 17, wherein thecut through the liner sheet further includes a third cut portion thatcrosses underneath the label boundary at the second label boundarycrossing.
 19. The label sheet of claim 18, wherein one of the second cutportion and the third cut portion is generally arcuate in shape.
 20. Thelabel sheet of claim 12, wherein the first and second label boundarycrossings are generally opposed to one another along the label boundary.